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I am shamed by my poor dévéloppé


TYR

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Yeah, they tell you the greats didn't kick through 90 degrees until, well, they started doing that, and they'd rather you were perfectly aligned even at 45. But I think we all know none of us really believes this and neither does your teacher and we all wish we could kick higher. Who's a kicker? What are good ideas, corrections, exercises?

 

The one currently in my head is to keep weight and arms forward, watch the tracking, and kick more forward (say at 120 degrees of turnout, not being a Russian). But has anyone got owt good beyond that? I hear crazy people practise them standing on a Swiss ball which would deffo make eyes pop down at the council gym.

 

 

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I'm puzzled by the title TYR ....because you have used the word developpe and are then talking about "kicking"

I had thought the action of kicking the leg was called Grand Battement.....though there is an action called battement developpe ....but would be harder to get the height on the latter action as the developpe slows it all down a bit. 

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I've never heard of anyone doing developpes on a Swiss ball. Maybe on a wobble board - you can pick them up on Amazon for around £25.

 

My teacher was talking about them last week. Rather than kicking, extension is the key. You need to create space - while the leg is still bent, lift higher in the hip and then extend. You'll see that is how Russian dancers do it, and my teacher is Russian. This especially works in second. I'm one of the worlds unbendiest people (very short ham strings) but I reckon mine in second is a wee bit higher since I tried it. Oh yeah, turn out helps too!

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Core strength, turnout, but most importantly, control.  Grand battements are kicked (thrown, really) but not developpés.

 

Rather than on a Swiss ball, I have seen dancers in rehab do developpés on a balance cushion or half ball.  That’s good for strengthening a supporting ankle or foot that has been injured.  

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I think the idea is that up to and at 90 degrees there should be no sideways body movement but if you can get the leg higher than that ( lucky you!) then there will be some transference of the body over the supporting leg to accommodate the height.

Normally a developpe action is described as " unfolding" and is a controlled action requiring considerable strength in the supporting leg and corps muscles ( as others have said) There is not much of a "kicking" action .....though if used in a sort of petit allegro section ( pas de trois from Bayadere comes to mind ) then it can seem if more of a kick ....will see if can post video!

just to add that the above video shows develop pes perfectly! 

Edited by LinMM
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"Kick" does seem to be the wrong mental model here. Current corrections here are to extend, use the inner thigh and hip muscles with lots of turnout and try to use quads as little as possible, keep the hip still until you're past 90 degrees.

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The thing that has helped me is thinking about where my knee needs to be. So, for développé à la seconde, I think of bringing my knee towards my armpit before I unfold the leg (while trying to keep the hip down). I quite often just repeat that movement to help build strength and think it has helped with my développés and grand battements.

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agree with Lily_883 - I watched my son do developpe a la seconde in centre of room both unsupported and supported (holding the foot up). He completely raised his knee to his max height with his foot still pointing down and THEN extended his calf and foot up.

 

Apparently the size of the difference between the height achieved when supported and unsupported indicates whether there is a discrepancy in strength Vs flexibility. So if you can raise your leg high whilst holding it but not on its own this would indicate your limiting factor is lack of strength, and if both measurements are low this would mean your limiting factor is lack of flexibility. Obviously supported is bound to be a bit better but just as an indicator DS's angle between standing leg and raised leg was 28 degrees more when supported and this was evaluated as 'no problems identified'...

 

Does that help at all?

 

 

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Yes in a developpé there is definitely not supposed to be a kick in order to raise the leg. The description you are looking for is extension using a controlled unfolding of the leg. And in fact even a sissone with a developpé shouldn't be kicked, but squeezed out at the end ofvthe jump.  Grands battement is a sort of kick, but even there the dancer has to control it by brushing through the floor,  keeping the turn-out and definitely controlling the lowering of the working leg.  A good way of practising in order to build up the strength needed to raise the leg higher, is to shoulder the leg (the stretching movement) and then let go of the leg trying to keep the leg and placing as they were. Also when you put the leg on the barre for stretching try and lift up the leg from the baŕre and hold it.  The video above is a perfect example  and shows how you are supposed to lift the leg from the retire through attitude in order to help the extension. Don't despair it will come with work and more strength.

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